New Hope Lifeguards Dive Into Third Place at State Competition
On a hot summer day, few things are more appealing than spending some time at the pool.
“Oh it gets real busy. Especially on the weekends and the Fourth of July, days like that,” said Jameson Kubitschek-Myers, a head lifeguard at the New Hope Aquatic Park. “We’ll hit capacity within the first couple hours of opening.”
Kubitschek-Myers helps train the team to prepare for emergencies. It’s an important job considering the pool gets tens of thousands of visitors every summer.
“Each year we come in with roughly 60 rescues,” Kubitschek-Myers said. “I mean, every single skill counts.”
Elizabeth Brey is one of the other head lifeguards.
The team Brey and Kubitschek-Myers help manage can now be called one of Minnesota’s best.
Elizabeth Brey is one of the head lifeguards at the New Hope Aquatic Park.
Earlier this month, the New Hope lifeguards took third place in the 2025 Minnesota Aquatics Lifeguard Competition.
“I think the main thing was just do it for the city of New Hope,” said Brey. “We know we have such an amazing group of guards here. We’ve been training super hard. The guards here are amazing.”
They spent two weeks preparing for the event, where they had to put their skills to the test against 17 other teams from across the state.
“So we watched a lot of videos, and then we also practiced a bunch of our rescues and we just got them down to a T,” said Brey.
The third-place finish is a testament to their dedication.
Now, the New Hope team has bragging rights, while families can come to the pool knowing that their kids are in good hands.
“You know, I’m really proud of our team for pulling off that sort of victory, but there’s always room for growth,” said Kubitschek-Myers.
This is the first time the New Hope lifeguards have competed in the competition. The team from Minnetonka came in second, while the first-place honor went to the lifeguards from Inver Grove Heights.
The team’s third-place banner hangs on the fence at the New Hope Aquatic Park.
Related: New Hope Aquatic Park Offers Variety of Adult-Only Swimming and Classes
